Political Science 1020E Lecture 13: Lecture 13 - Democracy 2
10 Dec 2016
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Auto = self, nomos = law or rule. Democracy embodies a commitment to freedom or self-rule. Freedom is not the capacity to do what we want. Instead, freedom is obedience to laws we give ourselves. Rousseau: (cid:498)the mere impulse of appetite is slavery, while obedience to a law which we prescribe to ourselves is liberty(cid:499) (cid:494)majority rule(cid:495) means the minority are not self-ruling. Those on the losing side are subject to laws they do not give themselves: those in the minority are not free. Objection: democracy is not a form of freedom. Democracy provides more autonomy that any other decision procedure. Democracy gives every citizen the opportunity to participate on equal terms in law-making. Democratic participation is an essential element in a flourishing life. Aristotle claimed that human beings are political animals. What makes us human is our capacity to reflect, discuss, and create the laws under which we live. Democracy embodies a commitment to treating all as moral equals.
